Zelenskyy meets with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace
King Charles III and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Photo:The Royal Family/Twitter)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in London, the BBC news agency reported on Feb. 8.
It was the first time the monarch had met Zelenskyy, the BBC said.
The Ukrainian president congratulated the English monarch on his recent accession to the throne and wished peace and prosperity to the British people, the President’s Office reported.
The Ukrainian leader also expressed gratitude to the British people and His Majesty’s Government and emphasized that the United Kingdom is one of Ukraine’s closest and most important allies.
“It is an honor for me to be the first president of Ukraine in the history of Ukrainian-British relations to be honored by the British monarch with an audience,” Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook.
“I am grateful to His Majesty for the warm welcome and for supporting Ukrainian citizens who have taken refuge from the war in the United Kingdom.”
The news that the Ukrainian president would pay an official visit to London only surfaced on Feb. 8. This is his second foreign visit after a trip to the United States, and his first visit to the United Kingdom since the outbreak of the full-scale war.
The Ukrainian president met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and addressed the UK Parliament, telling MPs that he would convey his gratitude to the King, from all Ukrainians, for his support even when he was still the Prince of Wales.
Zelenskyy is also scheduled to visit Ukrainian troops undergoing training and exercises in UK.
There are also reports that an expansion of a military training program for Ukrainian servicemembers will be announced to include fighter pilots and marines. Additionally, London plans to announce the provision of long-range weapons to Ukraine.
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